=== Kentucky holds off Syracuse to advance to Sweet 16 ===
Lexington, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - Paced by 17 points from Bria Goss, the
third-seeded Kentucky Wildcats outlasted the sixth-seeded Syracuse Orange,
64-59, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Memorial Coliseum.
Goss was nearly automatic at the foul line, draining 11-of-12 from the stripe
for Kentucky (26-8), which will move on to the Sweet 16 to play Baylor.
DeNesha Stallworth and Kastine Evans added to the winning effort with 13 and
11 points, respectively.
Brianna Butler scored 15 points for Syracuse (23-10) but was only 5-of-19
shooting from the field. Briana Day put up 13 points and Alexis Peterson
scored 12.
Kentucky shot just 36.4 percent from the field in the opening stanza, but
Syracuse was even worse at 31.3 percent, as the Wildcats went into the
halftime locker room with a 32-25 lead.
The Wildcats extended their lead to as many as 11 early in the second half
before the Orange came storming back to make it just a two-point game, 46-44,
with 11:53 remaining on a Rachel Coffey 3-pointer. Syracuse would get no
closer, however, as Kentucky used a 9-1 run over the next five minutes to gain
separation.
Syracuse committed 23 turnovers on the evening and shot a dreadful 5-of-25
from 3-point range.
03/24 23:47:43 ET